River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-02-03
Astonishing Exnerience.

NN'A - ~ win bOAAs sAEA AAAAAAtALAtt
farmer, had a gathering Of friends at
his house. He was man - ye.irs Of
age, and of robust health. and on this
evening it was noticed that he was in
partice rly good spirits After the
guests nad departed he remarked to his
wife that he felt more like singing aHd
dancing than going to bed. They re-
tired about half-past eleven O'Clock,
and she was asleep before midnight.
The farmer was always out of bed
Al ) o'clock, but on the morning follow
ing the party the wife awoke at 6 and
found him still sleeping. When she
attempted to arouse him she discovered
that he was dead. A doctor was sent
for. and he arrived i'm the course of an
hour to pronounce it case Of heart
disease. He said the man had been
dead three hours when the wife awoke
The undertaken came aud prepared the
body tor burial.
1t was remarked that the corpse re-
tanned life-like appearance. and that
none OF the limbs grew rigid, but the
two other physicians called in vigorous
~ combatted the idea that he was in a
trance and might be restored to life
Nevertheless, the wife and sons had a
secret hope that death had not really
come to him. and the funeral was put
two days ahead During the interval
the corpse was constantly watched for
signs of returning animation, but moth
ing occurred to delay the funeral ar
rangements.
The burial was TO take place in
country graveyard. the most of the We
hicles gathering at the house belonged
TO farmers. The usual ceremonies took
place over the dead, and the coffin was
| brought out and placed in the hearse.
While the procession was forming.
team attached to an empty wagon came
| down the road, running away. The
wagon collidcd with the hearse and the
latter vehicle was upset and the coffin
flung out. Four or five men ran to pick
I up, but before a hand had touched it
voice was heard, saving:
For Gods sake. let me out of thiS!'
The people at first moved back in
| alright, but as the voice continued to
address them the coffin was righted
and opened, and Wellington was found
struggling to get out. With little
assistance he pulled himself ont of the
| box and walked into the house and sat
down in a chair. In half an hour he
had his clothes on and was moving
around among the amazed people, To
whom he related this experience:
Il did not fall asleep until some time
after midnight When | awoke the
clock was striking 5. / made move
to get ont Of bed, but, to my great
amazement. could stir neither hand
nor foot. | had the full use of my ears,
but | could not open my eyes. Iargued
at first that | was not Vet wide awake.
but when my wife shook me and called
me by name and / could not respond
by even moving an eyelid. l became
satisfied that ] was in a trance. Nv
mind was never clearer, and nv hearing
was painfully acute. | made effort
after effort to throw off the great weight
which seemed to be holding me down,
| but | could not bend toe or crook a
| finger. However. it was only after the
doctor had pronounced me dead that l
felt any darn. Up 10 that time it had
| seemed rs if | could soon manage to
get rid Of the weight, Had pistol
been fired in the room | am sure the
spell would have been broken
After the doctors ultimatum | felt
that | should be buried alive But was
alive? All of a sudden this query
flashed across my brain, and | was
troubled more than | can tell YOU. As
never died before how was | to know
the sensations? Could the dead hear
and think? Was the mind of a corpse
in active operation. 1t was problem
l could rot solve.
."Not word was spoken near me
which did not catch and fully under
stand. There was n great deal Of weep
ing, and | failed to satisfy myself a to
the cause. had died, but it did not
seem As if this was sufficient excuse.
When my wife bent over the coffin and
sobbed and grieyed and refused Ia be-
comforted. did not fee bad with her
On the contrary. her action surprised
me. When the two other doctors pro-
nounced me dead | made up my mind
that | was dead. and that the end had
come. | had been taught 10 believe
that the spirit of the dead. assembled to
heaven, and that the d. were dead in
mind as well As body. ISTYas a base,le-
ceptiOn. felt indignant that il was 80.
As an instance of the acuteneSS of
my hearing, let me explain that after
| vas placed in the coffin the receptacle
was moved over u an open window in
the parlor, where it was supported on
sawhorses. Two of my neighborS
took seats on wagon box In the
barnyard. fully 200 feet away. and for
an hour couyersed of my death in
ordinary tones of voice. ] did not
miss one single word Of The conycrsa-
ton, as both afterward admitted.
could hear every tick of the kitchen
clock, and much of the conversation
of the women in the upstairs rooms,
On the night previous to the funeral.
about half past 10 O'Clock. and while
the two men sitting mp with the corpse
We're reading. ! heard two men climb
the fence into the barnyard. cross the
yard, and enter the barn. After a few
minutes they came out, and / heard
the jingle of something carried by one
of the pair. l could not make out what
was going on, but learned afterward.
The two men stole a horse from a field
opposite my barn. and they entered
my premises in search of bride.
Il heard the people assemble for the
funeral, and a. ] caught word from
this one or that one ! identified them
by name to myself, ! listened closely
to the sermon. but when the minister
spoke of me | conld not take il as per-
sOnal. Ii was a if the name and per
son belonged to some one I had known
years before. | knew when was car
ried out and placed in the hearse, and
am certain that had heard the clat-
ter of the team running away before
anybody sighted them. When the peo-
pie began to call out in alright l felt
that same fear of being hurt that any
live man does. | heard them trying to
back the hearse out of the way to let
the team go by. but they We're not
quick enough. As the collision came
nv eyes opened and my speech was re-
stored and from that rncrneDt 7 u.z OH